A few months ago, I caught wind that The Dietz Foundation was working with a new designer named Yoni Goldstein on his first game called Chicago ’68 for a summer Kickstarter campaign. Chicago ’68 deals with the Democratic National Convention riots of 1968 in Chicago and sees players taking on the role of either the Establishment or the Demonstrators in a fast-paced game of street battles and political maneuvers. I reached out to Yoni and he was more than willing to discuss the game with me and also work on a series of Event Card spoiler posts in a run up to the Kickstarter campaign that is set to launch on August 6th.

In this series of Event Cards Spoilers, we will cover several different types of cards included in the game and give their details so that you can understand how the game works and how it incorporates the historical narrative of the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention Riots.

But first off, a bit about the game itself. Chicago ’68 is a game about the riots during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, set against the social upheavals of America in the sixties. On one side: the Youth International Party (aka The Yippies) and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (aka the MOBE), on the other: Mayor Daley, the Chicago Police Department and the National Guard. The game unfolds over the course of three days during the Democratic National Convention – from the 26th to the 29th of August, culminating in the nomination of a presidential candidate. There are two victory conditions: one is to gain the most media exposure favorable to your side and the other is to influence the delegate vote and bolster your political aims. The Demonstrators may pivot between these two objectives while the Establishment, although more powerful, must fight and win on both fronts.

Card #2: Mob Chaos Card: “A stiff west wind…”

Mob Chaos Cards are unique events that are usually triggered when more than 5 units or if a TAC Force (a Police super unit) is engaged in conflict. These cards introduce unpredictable outcomes to otherwise deterministic conflict resolution. Each Mob Chaos Card features primary source accounts from eyewitnesses, government officials, and/or reporters. Many of these quotes are derived from my guiding resource: Rights in Conflicts (aka The Walker Report).

Each Round in the game represents half a day: including both day and night. The current round determines which effect is resolved. Typically, but not always, daytime effects favor the Demonstrators while nighttime favors Police activity. In this event, we witness a common occurrence: the Windy City’s proximity to Lake Michigan causes havoc when tear gas envelopes a major thoroughfare. 

In game terms, when a tear gas token is placed in a City Area, all Demonstrators must immediately move to an adjacent area. If it’s not possible for the units to move (say they were kettled in by barbed wire) they must be removed from the board, suffering a grievous injury.

You can catch up on the series to date by following these links:

Card #1 – Police Action Card: Mass Arrest

Next card up in the series will be Card #3: Supplementary Police Action Card: Flame-Throwers.

We recently published an interview with the designer Yoni Goldstein and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2024/07/22/interview-with-yoni-goldstein-designer-of-chicago-68-from-the-dietz-foundation-coming-to-kickstarter-august-6th/

Also, if you are interested in learning more about Chicago ’68, you can visit the Kickstarter preview page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dietzfoundation/chicago-68?ref=discovery

-Grant